I took the seat he had pointed out and looked at him evenly, ignoring the sudden tug that occurred as we pulled away into deeper water.
Chapter Ten
“So, why the sudden interest in everything today?” Hades asked as we sailed quietly across the wide river, the shore shrinking behind us before the other side became visible.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, when did you suddenly decide you wanted to take part in my business?”
He sounded annoyed, which didn’t surprise me. He’d been running this place by himself while his wife did nothing. I would question an unprecedented interest as well.
“I just got to thinking . . .” I said slowly, trying to pick my words carefully. “How much do we really know about each other? I mean, we’re not your typical married couple, correct?”
He stared at me like I was stupid for a minute, before sighing and nodding his head, eyes rolling slightly.
“Your point?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest.
“I think we should start over,” I said, trying to hide the nervous tremor in my voice.
“Start over?”
“You know, act like we’ve never met before. We could learn who the other really is. It would be good for us.”
“So, you want me to forget all of the nasty, horrible things you’ve done to me over the years and act like we’re best friends?” he asked, laughing sharply.
“You’ve done plenty of horrid things to me,” I snapped, determined to get him to agree. “This would be a way to get by them and see if we . . .”
“Work?” he finished when I fell silent. “You suddenly want to see if we can make our marriage work? Aren’t you off sleeping with anyone you can get your hands on when you’re not here?”
“I’m not a slut,” I said defensively, glaring at him. “And I’m serious about this. I want to . . . I want to get to know you. It’s been long enough, I’m tired of sitting around here every winter doing nothing.”
“We didn’t do nothing that one winter,” he said slyly, reaching out and rubbing his hand over my knee, a seductive smile pulling at his lips.
“Stop it,” I said, brushing his hand away. “I’m being serious. I want it to be as if we’d never met before.”
“Fine,” he sighed, throwing his hands up in the air. “We’ll play your stupid game. It’s not like you won’t pick another one to torture me with if I don’t go along with it.”
I couldn’t stop my own sigh of relief, my nerves that had somehow remained calm during the entire talk suddenly feeling like I’d ran them through a cheese grater. It occurred to me that I’d never developed a backup plan for if he refused. Who knew how I would have explained all my actions of the day?
We fell silent again, Hades looking out over the water with a frown on his face. Looking over to see what had caught his attention, I was surprised to see several islands had suddenly appeared in front of us, sitting on what looked to be the edge of a huge waterfall. The closer we got, the more amazed I became.
They were tropical islands, looking like somewhere people would spend thousands of dollars to vacation. As we came nearer, I could hear dance music playing and laughter. Finally, as we came up to one of the docks extending off the closer islands, I could see people dancing and feasting on the other side of the tree line. It looked like a costume party, everyone dressed in what must have been the fashions of their lifetimes.
This was certainly different from the masses of zombie like people we’d just passed through.
“You’d think they’d find something decent to listen to,” Hades grumbled, climbing up onto the dock.
I followed after him, still taking in the surroundings in awe. Each island was connected to the other by elegant wooden bridges, bright, colorful flowers adorning the hand rails. While there was no sun to shine down on us, everything was bright as day, as if it were glowing with its own happiness.
“So, this is where the rich and famous come?” I asked, turning my attention back to my pretend husband.
“Famous, yes. Rich, no,” he laughed humorlessly. “The two don’t always intermix. One of the islands is inhabited solely by nuns and priests that have been named saints. They’re always praying or doing something religious, even though this is obviously not the heaven they spent their whole lives preaching about. I don’t generally go over there. Even I can only take being told I’m going to be thrown into a river of fire so much.”
He smiled at me over his shoulder and I was surprised to see that it appeared genuine. There was no fire in his eyes, no mocking in his gaze. Maybe getting to know him wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
“What are we here to check then?” I asked as we finally came up on the beach. “It looks like everyone is just having a good time.”
“The guards will check in on their assigned islands and make sure everyone has everything they want and need. We will be going to the furthest island and checking on the far perimeter.”
“Who’s on the far island?”
“The infamous.”
“What do you mean?”
“Bad people, he said grimly. “It’s a loophole in the way things are organized. Those who are famous and influential die with the knowledge of how to get to the islands. Sometimes, people who did truly horrible things in their lifetime are made famous for it. Because of that, they have the knowledge of how to get here.”
“You mean like . . . Murderers? Thieves?”
“Exactly,” he said, nodding. “Technically speaking, they belong in Tartarus because of what they did, but things don’t exactly work that way. If they ever act up here, it gives me good reason to move them. However, I can’t leave everyone else unprotected, so they have their own guarded island. It’s on the very edge of the falls, which are also heavily guarded. Once a week, we come out to make sure everything is still in order and no one has broken through the line. It’s amazing how many people don’t want to stay here, even if they have everything they could ever want. Everything except life, that is.”
“Is this the spot of concern you were talking about earlier?”
He shook his head, sighing as I brought it up.
“No. That will come later.”
We made our way across several islands, parties galore going on around us as we did. Every type of food I could imagine passed around the tables, different types of music playing on their respective islands. I felt a little like I was stuck in a bar during happy hour.
Finally, we came to the last bridge, leading out to an island further away than any of the others had been. I could see some boats anchored on the edge of the falls, as well as what looked like lookout towers stationed in a few places. As we made our way out to check on things, I felt a nervous ball of energy forming in my stomach. I could only imagine the people who would be here, faces I’d seen on the news or in my history books.
“Wait here,” Hades said, stopping me on the beach. I did as he ordered, a wave of relief washing over me at not having to go in. There were guards stationed through the trees, several of which Hades stopped to talk to. After a few minutes, he disappeared into the shrubs.
Not knowing exactly what to do, I took to looking around again, still amazed that all of this was down here. A short time later, Hades returned, stopping to say a few words to one more guard before joining me again.
“Let’s go,” he said briskly, stepping onto the bridge and pulling out a tablet he began typing something into.
I followed after him silently, wondering just how technological everything here was. For some reason, I’d expected to find it as it’d been in ancient times. It made sense that they would have upgraded, though. Why ignore things that would make your job easier in the long run?
We made our way back to the boats where it appeared all the other guards were already waiting. Our own tiny vessel had been switched out with a much bigger ship though, several of the armed men waiting on it. Hades and I boarded and I saw another round table, much lik
e the one in the war room from before. As we all took a seat, we moved back out into the water again, sailing to where we’d come from.
“Let me have it,” Hades said, leaning back in his chair and motioning to one of the men.
They shared the states of each island with each other the entire ride back, exchanging ideas on how to fix little things and better the conditions on the islands. I was surprised to hear how considerate they were of everyone, including the criminals that were housed there. It was also a shock to hear them working together as a team, instead of Hades just giving orders to everyone. I hadn’t thought he was the type of person to take advice from another.
When we reached the shore once more, everyone mounted up again and we went on our way. The trip was much longer this time. We passed through a dense forest with more people wandering aimlessly through, seemingly lost in their own minds. It gave me chills to think about, knowing this was to be the fate of most of mankind.
After the forest, we entered into a rocky terrain, the heat increasing around us to stifling levels. I didn’t even know how Hades managed to wear his black jacket without melting. Eventually, we started heading uphill, the incline one of the steepest I’d ever ridden.
Suddenly, large stone gates appeared in front of us, the rock twisting together in elegant designs that locked together in several places. The group came to a halt at their foot, adding to their majesty as I realized just how big they were, stretching up almost too far for me to see the top.
Grating together, the stone began to pull apart, the earth shuddering under us as the doors opened slowly, releasing an even more intense wave of heat and the sound of wailing. My horse pawed the ground nervously, pulling back in fear. Calming him the best I could, I watched Hades drive forward to meet with a guard who’d come from the other side of the gate.
They exchanged a few words before a motion for us to follow was given. With fear in my own heart and sweat on my face, we entered into the prison of the Underworld.
The gates closed behind us as we looked over the edge of the peak we’d ridden up on the outside. The heat was suddenly explained as the river of fire I’d seen by the castle wrapped through the valley beneath us, burning up everything in its path. I could also see people down there, little specks in the smoke engulfing them, crying out in pain and regret.
Everyone started moving down a small, narrow path that wound down into the canyon and extended past where I could see. I desperately wanted to go back outside, the atmosphere and cries of those around me too much to handle all at once. I’d never known it until then, but I had no desire to see hellfire, in this life or the next. Not knowing how to get back to the castle, though, and not wanting to face whatever Hades would have to say to me if I left, I reluctantly followed after them, whispering encouraging words to my horse along the way.
We rode through the smoke slowly, having to go one at a time down the path because of its size. Hades’s chariot barely fit, the outside wheel seeming like it would topple over the edge at any second. Eventually, the cries of the condemned fell behind us and we were left only with the choking smoke and heat from the river.
After a very long, quiet ride, another pair of large gates rose up in front of us, but that wasn’t what held my attention. It was the guards that stopped my breath and made me freeze in the saddle.
They were monsters, there wasn’t any other way to describe it. While they looked like men for the most part, heavily armored and carrying multiple weapons, they each had more arms than I could count, reaching out every which way in a spider-like fashion. As we came closer, the gates began to open and I felt my mouth gaping. Inside was not only more of the strange men, but giants. Real life giants.
The enormous size of the gates quickly made sense to me as I looked at them, their height too much for me to wrap my head around. They looked fierce, their bodies well-muscled and war worn, scars shining out from their attire.
Again, Hades and a few of his guards rode up to the gates and a conversation ensued. Instead of going in like I thought we would though, he simply turned around and started leading the way back out as the gates closed behind him.
“We’re not going in?” I asked as he passed me.
“We never do,” he said. “The Hundred Handers and giants can handle the Titans easily. They’ve guarded the prison for centuries. Going inside to check for myself would be insulting to them and, frankly, I don’t want to deal with that. Zeus is the only one they don’t mind coming in, since he put them up to the task in the first place.”
“Zeus, right,” I said, suddenly remembering that he had siblings. All of this history was making my head spin.
“Where are we going now then?” I asked, turning my horse around to follow him with the guards.
“The River Styx,” he said, whipping the reins on his horses and speeding up considerably.
We exited Tartarus quickly, moving at a pace that felt much faster than any previously. Once we’d ridden back into the forest, we turned away from the way we’d come before, following another path deeper into the trees. I didn’t even know how long we’d been out on the ride, but hunger grumbled in my stomach, the time for lunch having long passed.
The trees parted and we were on the bank of another river, this one leading out into . . . Could it be? Sunlight!
We rode towards the opening of the cave, following the water’s edge. I didn’t even know I’d missed the sun so much until its light was right there, waiting for me. Unfortunately, we stopped before reaching the hole in the rock. Even I could see it was for good reason, though.
So many people were crowding into the space, some looking around confused, some sitting on the ground with blank looks on their face. As I watched, a boat came down the river, a tall hooded man that reminded me of the grim reaper piloting it. As he came up the shore, the people got in a line, digging in their pockets for something. Slowly, coins were dropped into the hand of the hooded man and the boat filled with people. Once full, the man turned and got back in, pushing away from the shore and taking all who had paid away with him.
“Wait!” one woman who hadn’t been allowed on cried, falling on the shore behind them. “Don’t leave me here!”
“She didn’t have the fare,” Hades said grimly.
“What will happen to her?” I asked, watching her sob on the beach.
“She can never come in,” he said sadly. “She will wander the earth for all time or join the Lost Ones.”
“Why is it so important she pay to get in?”
“We put the minerals from the money back into the earth,” Hades said grimly. “Without something to contribute, she can not stay. Nothing in life—or death—is free.”
With a sigh, he motioned the three guards he’d singled out at the meeting this morning forward. He instructed them to stay and watch everyone, to make sure that only those who did not pay were leaving through the gate.
“This is the area of concern?” I asked as the rest of us turned away, following the river’s edge in the direction we’d been going again.
“There isn’t always a guard at this gate,” Hades said. “Charon has his ferry duties and can’t sit here all the time. I’ve left guards in the woods to watch before, but there have been requests for more out in the open. We’ll see what the ones who stayed behind today think about all of it.”
As we rode on, I fell silent again, knowing that they were guarding the wrong gate.
Chapter Eleven
What was it about the gate I’d entered in through that made Hades not even think about it when it came to the security of his realm? There had been no guards, no deterrents to keep me from entering, just the maze of caves on the other side. Perhaps that was it? He didn’t think that anyone could learn to navigate them well enough to remember how to get in? While a little farfetched, I could see where he might think that way.
After the ride out was finished, I found myself back in the stables, brushing down my nameless horse with care. I felt a connect
ion with him for sure, like I’d had with the horses back home. It hurt my heart to know he’d been down here, neglected for who knows how long. Making sure he was taken care of now seemed like the right thing to do, even if I wasn’t really who he’d been intended for.
The brush moved over his short hair with ease, relaxing both of us at the same time. While he munched on oats, I thought over a few name possibilities. After only one ride though, I wasn’t feeling like I knew him well enough to give him one yet.
Around me, the guards took care of their own mounts and put away the extra things they’d taken out with them. One by one, they left the room, going to wherever they were supposed to, I guessed. No one had said anything else to me since we’d arrived back and Hades had left immediately, not a sound coming from him.
Eventually, I looked up to discover I was alone, not another soul in sight. Slipping out of the stall and putting the brush away, I eyed the door to the armor room, knowing this might be my only chance to get in there and poke around.
It appeared I wasn’t going to be so lucky this time, though.
“You surprised me today.”
Hades’s voice startled me, causing me to flinch slightly before turning around.
“How so?” I asked, regretfully putting away my ideas of snooping for the moment.
“In all the time I’ve known you, you’ve never spoken up or done anything that involved spending time with me, not unless you had to. I mean, there was that one year, but we know how that ended. Then today . . . I can’t figure out why you would suddenly decide you want to be a part of it. What changed?”
“I don’t think I’m who you think I am,” I said truthfully. “And I think you’re not who I think you are, either.”
“Starting over,” he said, bringing up our earlier conversation. “I thought you were just pulling my leg with that, too. You actually mean it, though, don’t you?”
“I do,” I said, nodding.
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